This caffeine-free, vegan, and keto Dalgona coffee is special — it’s made with absolutely NO coffee! Not even decaf. With liver-supporting herbs and no acidity, you will swoon over this healthy Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee (Dandy Blend Dalgona Coffee) recipe!

Dalgona Coffee is the latest drink craze to sweep the world.

Originating in South Korea, Dalgona Coffee is a whipped drink that absolutely rivals your favorite cold coffee shop drink or iced coffee. It gets it’s name from a spongy, foamy, toffee-flavored South Korean candy.

Who knew that whipping coffee resulted in a meringue-like consistency that is utterly sublime when mixed with cold milk?!

The texture is foamy and smooth, thick and creamy… oh, it’s so good!

Thank you to whatever Instagrammer, Tic-Tok-er, or influencer made Dalgona coffee go viral! 🙂

The original Dalgona Coffee ingredients are:

• instant coffee
• white sugar
• boiling water
• milk

Yet, as I saw this foamy drink taking over social media, I wondered, “What about the people who don’t drink coffee? Or caffeine?”

Sure, you can use decaf instant coffee for a decaf Dalgona Coffee.

But, some of us don’t drink coffee at all. Like, ever. 

So, like you do on Saturday during quarantine (or any day of quarantine), I did some experimenting.

Friends! I have created the world’s first Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee — with zero coffee, zero caffeine, zero dairy, and zero sugar!

Why Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee (It’s a Dandy Blend Dalgona Coffee!)

I gave up coffee long ago, but I did miss that earthy bitterness.

At first, I made my own blends using ground chicory, burdock root, and dandelion root. When I wanted more convenience, I tried Teecino. Finally, I landed on the most convenient, instant herbal coffee: Dandy Blend.

(This post is in no way sponsored by Dandy Blend!)

Why did I stop drinking coffee?

• It’s super acidic.
• Coffee is hard on my digestion.
• I’m hella sensitive to caffeine (ie. jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations).
• I love incorporating liver-supporting herbs into my life. Conveniently, the dried herbs used in herbal coffee blends are so liver-friendly!

The World’s FIRST Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee — Dandy Blend Dalgona Coffee

After I successfully made Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee — and promptly slurped that glass of deliciousness down! — I did a quick Google search for “herbal dalgona coffee”.

Nothin’.

As of the date of publishing this recipe, April 4, 2020, no other recipes for Herbal Dalgona Coffee or Dandy Blend Dalgona Coffee exist online. So, that kinda makes me a pioneer. 😛

So, how did I create the world’s first herbal Dalgona Coffee?

I used my favorite herbal coffee substitute, Dandy Blend. Dandy Blend is a prebiotic, herbal, instant “coffee” drink made from liver-loving herbs like dandelion root, chicory, roasted barley, and roasted rye. (It is 100% tested and certified gluten-free.)

Dandy Blend makes one heck of a tasty herbal latte, too!

What about Teecino or my own blend of burdock/chicory/dandelion root?

I didn’t have any Teecino in my pantry when I made this Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee, so I can’t answer that. If you try it with Teecino, please comment below!

However, I did have ground burdock, chicory, and dandelion root in my pantry. (Ya know, like you do…)

But it didn’t work. 🙁

I have no clue why, but after mixing on high for more than 5 minutes — and my arm nearly falling off — I poured it down the sink. The mixture just would not get foamy.

I think it’s because the original Dalgona coffee is made with instant coffee, and my Dandy Blend Dalgona Coffee is made with an instant herbal coffee. (“Instant” being the keyword here.)

Dandy Blend is an instant herbal coffee, so it was worth a try. If the Dandy Blend didn’t work, then I wouldn’t have known the magic of Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee.

Thankfully, it whipped!!

And for all of us non-coffee drinkers, for all of us caffeine-free people, for all of us who don’t keep instant coffee in our kitchens, I present Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee!

How to Make Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee

Place Dandy Blend, sweetener of choice (more below), and boiling water in a mixing bowl.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until foamy, frothy, and soft peaks form (like meringue).

To a glass, add about a cup of dairy-free milk. (Yes, if you tolerate dairy, you can use regular milk here. I recommend raw, grass-fed milk.)

You can also add ice to the glass, if you like.

The glass should be no more than 2/3 full with milk before you add the whipped coffee. For extra flavor, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk or use an unsweetened vanilla milk.

Pour or spoon the whipped coffee on top of the milk and ENJOY!

Ingredient & Recipe FAQs

Does Dandy Blend actually taste like coffee?

I think it does! I’ve occasionally had decaf coffee at a coffee shop, and I honestly was shocked at how closely to “real” coffee Dandy Blend is.

I only have single-serve packets of Dandy Blend. How much should I use?

1 single-serve packet of Dandy Blend contains 2 teaspoons, so to make 2 servings of Herbal Dalgona Coffee, use 3 single-serve packets.

What sweetener should I use?

For a paleo Herbal Dalgona Coffee, use coconut sugar. (<– Save 10% on my favorite coconut sugar with my discount code NOURISHING.)

For a keto Herbal Dalgona Coffee, use your favorite granulated keto sweetener. I used my own blend, Dietz Sweet.

Do not use a liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup or honey.

What is the best dairy-free milk to use?

I used cashew milk in my Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee. Any dairy-free milk will technically do, however coconut will likely impart a coconut flavor — which you may or may not like.

I think more neutral-flavored dairy-free vegan milks are best. These include: oat milk (not low-carb), hemp milk, macadamia nut milk, almond milk, and cashew milk. For health reasons, I would not use soy milk.

Should I use a stand mixer or hand mixer or whisk?

A stand mixer is the least amount of work. I used my hand mixer, and it took about 4 minutes of continuous, vigorous mixing on high speed.

Online, people have reported using a regular whisk, but they were also using instant coffee, not an herbal mix, which I suspect affects how the mixture whips.

4.84 from 6 votes

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Herbal Dalgona Coffee (caffeine-free, vegan, keto option)

This caffeine-free, vegan, and keto Dalgona coffee is special -- it's made with absolutely NO coffee! Not even decaf. With liver-supporting herbs and no acidity, you will swoon over this healthy Herbal Dalgona Whipped Coffee recipe!

CourseDrinks

Prep Time 4 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2tablespoonsDandy Blend(or 3 sleeves of Dandy Blend)
• 2tablespoonsDietz Sweetor coconut sugar for paleo
• 2tablespoonsboiling water
• 16ouncesdairy-free milk of choiceoat, cashew, hemp, macadamia nut, etc.
• 1teaspoonvanilla extractoptional

Instructions

1. Add the Dandy Blend, sweetener of choice, and boiling water to a mixing bowl.

2. Mix or whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy and fluffy.

3. Add ice (if desired) to a glass along with dairy-free milk. The glass should only be filled one-half to two-thirds with dairy-free milk. If you like, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to each glass along with the milk.

4. Spoon the whipped herbal coffee on top of the milk to completely fill the glass.

5. Drink immediately.

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More Healthy Cold Drink Recipes You’ll Love…

• Keto Chocolate Collagen Shake (dairy-free)
• Keto Arnold Palmer Iced Tea
• Healthy Chunky Monkey Milkshake
• Easy Keto Thai Iced Tea
• 2-Ingredient Keto Instant Pot Rhubarb Juice
• Old-Fashioned Keto Root Beer Float
• 3-Ingredient Healthy Peach Slushie
• Green Hippie Juice
• Fresh Mint Sun Tea
• Vegan Cherry Lime Slushie

Have you tried Dalgona Whipped Coffee yet? If you haven’t it because of the caffeine or sugar, give this Herbal Dandy Blend Dalgona Whipped Coffee a try!